Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Lesson Plan

Teach your 3rd-grade science balanced and unbalanced forces with comic-style worksheets and activities, and watch the excitement take over your classroom! This is more than a science reading intervention resource. Everything from the forces comic to the follow-up worksheets is presented in a comic style making this physical science lesson approachable and FUN!

This balanced and unbalanced forces lesson plan is loaded with content and learning opportunities. The Relay Races Challenge is LOW-PREP, completely FREE, and engages your students in active learning.

ALIGNS WITH NGSS STANDARDS 3-PS2-1

If you are looking for a product for higher grade levels (MS-PS2-2), please check out Types of Force HERE.

Product Overview

Explore the many types of forces with colorful and memorable illustrations and examples. Your students will never forget the difference between balanced and unbalanced forces. They will examine many types of forces, such as gravity, friction, magnetism, and more.

This Balanced and Unbalanced Types of Forces Lesson Plan includes:

Google Slideshow–

• Your copy of my fully animated slide deck

Colored Content–

• Display on the front board
• Print up to hand out
• Makes a great 3rd-grade science anchor chart poster

B&W Content-

• Print-and-GO!
• Engaging science coloring sheet

Guided Notes-

• A unique addition to interactive science notebooks
• Use as guided reading
• Good homework option

Doodle Notes Worksheet-

• Reinforce the concept and ask learners to apply their understanding
• Appeals to the artists in your classroom
• It is also a great addition to interactive notebooks

Balanced Forces Relay Races Activity-

• Students compete in a fun and FREE activity while implementing their understanding of BALANCED FORCES
• A great team-building exercise
• Visual instructions improve accessibility for struggling readers and English language learners (ESL, ELL)

Activity Follow-up Worksheet–

• Once the activity is complete, students will complete these questions to tie all of the information together
• Reinforces understanding

Easel Activity–

• Guided notes in Easel form!
• Upload directly to your virtual classroom

One Pager Comic Project–

• Students apply what they have learned to create their own comics about the types of forces.
• Create a class comic book or display them in the halls
• Two different rubrics differentiated for your variety of learners

Bonus Forces Word Search

Lesson Plan Template–

• A detailed lesson plan mapping out how you can extend this lesson to a week or more
• Includes tips and instructions

Answer Keys– Answers for the guided notes and follow-up questions

Related Products

Gravity Lesson Plan

Newton’s Third Law of Motion Lesson

Climate and Weather Reading and Doodle Notes Activity

Weather Comic and Doodle Notes

Magnetism Doodle Notes Activity

What makes Cool School Comics such an impactful learning tool?

They are FUN! 

• This is the most crucial benefit.
• Students are more willing to participate and more engaged.
• The content STICKS.

Visual learning is EFFECTIVE. 

• About 65% of the population consists of visual learners.
• Visual information is processed faster.
• Students who SEE information are more likely to retain it.

EASY to implement! 

• These lesson plans are complete and ready to go, requiring minimal prep time.
• You only need to make copies, upload supplementals to your virtual classrooms, and set up the hands-on activities.
• Lots of flexibility! You can print these as posters, add them to interactive notebooks, hand them out to students, or share them virtually. There is plenty of room for modifications.

ACTIVE LEARNING

• Every lesson plan has a low-prep, wallet-friendly, hands-on component.
• Instructions are in a visual format
• Follow-up questions or a lab report are always included

Comics make content ACCESSIBLE

• Naturally differentiated, comics accommodate a wide range of learning abilities and styles.
• Great for classrooms with a diverse population of learners
• They can simultaneously rope in both your gifted and struggling students (and everyone in between).
• Reluctant readers gravitate toward comics.
• Comics help English Language Learners (ELL, ESL) and some SPED students find success.

Be the hip teacher seizing the graphic novels craze. Your students will LOVE it!

*Doodle Notes is a trademarked term used with permission. Please visit www.Doodlenotes.org for more information.